Alarm apparatus for engine-room telegraphs or the like.



No. 677,|69. Patented lune 25, |90l.

T. BELL.

ALARM APPARATUS FOR ENGINE ROUM TELYEGhRAPl-IS 0R THE LIKE.

(Application led Sept. 22, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNTED STATES PATENT Ormea.

THOMAS BELL, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

ALARM APPARATUS FOR ENGINE-ROOM TELEGRAPHS 0R THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent NO. 677 ,169, dated J' une 25, 1901.

Application filed September 22, 1900. Serial No. 30.819. (No model.)

To coll whom, it mfc/y concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS BELL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Apparatus for Engine-Room Telegraphs or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an alarm device connected to a moving part by whichan order is indicated and to a moving part 4which when the said order is carried out occupies a certain definite position in such manner that an alarm is sounded when the order is not complied with.

My invention is particularly applicable to engine-room telegraphs in which a pointer moving over a dial indicates an order and in which the position of the reversing-lever or weigh-shaft of the engine indicates whether or not the said order has been carried out, and I will describe my invention in connection with this-application of it as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is an elevation showing the orderdial of an engine-room telegraph, the weighshaft, the various contact-pieces, and the connections between them. Fig. His a side view of the order-dial and pointer. Fig. III is a side view, partly in section, ot the weigh-shaft lever and contact-pieces, both latter views being to a larger scale than Fig. I; and Figs. IV, V, and VI are diagrammatic views to show the connections and mode of working.

ais the pointer, which moving over a dial b indicates the order. The usual orders may be grouped into three sections-fviz., those relating to the ahead movement of the engine, those relating to the astern7 movement, and stop-and in the example illustrated I do not diiferentiate, so far as the alarm device is concerned, between the different subdivisions of the groups, such as full, half, and slow The pointer a is electrically connected to one pole of a generator c of any suitable type, and the other pole of the generatoris electrically connected, through the alarm device t of any ordinary construction, to a connecting-piece d, between which and a series of contacts there is relative movement in virtue of and corresponding with the movement of the weigh-shaft or reversing-lever of the engine. In the exam ple illustrated the connecting-piece d is fixed and the contacts move with the weigh-shaft e, on which is keyed a lever f. This lever car ries three insulated contact-pieces g, h, and 7a, and the connecting-piece d makes electrical Contact with g when the engine is turning ahead, with h when the engine is stopped, and withcwhentheengineisturningastern. The lever also carries a contact-piece Z, through which CZ is connected to the generator and the alarm in series. The construction of the contact-piece and the mode of carrying it are shown in Fig. Ill. A casing m, of insulating material, is bolted to a fixed column n and carries the two plunge rs cl, which are normally thrust outwardly by the spiral spring o, which also serves to electrically connect them.

The dial carries three pairs of insulated contactpieces G G', H H, and K K. The pointer is provided with two spring-brushes p and q, electrically connected therewith and which when the pointer is at an ahead order are in electrical contact with G and G when the pointer is at stop are in con'- tact with I-I IVI', and when the pointer is at an astern order are in contact with K K. There is an interval between these contact-pieces, so that when the pointer is at stand by the brushes are not in contact with any of the said contact-pieces. G is electrically connected to K and to h, G to I-l' and k, and K to H and g. The scheme of these connections will be easily understood on reference to the diagrammatic views, Figs. IV, V, and VI, from which it will be seen that the ahead weigh-shaft contact-piece is connected to both an astern dial contactpiece and a stop dial contact-piece, that th'e stop7 weiglrshatt contact-piece is connected to both an ahead and an astern dial contact-piece, and that the astern weigh-shaft contact-piece is connected to both an ahead and a stop dial contactpiece. It will further be seen from these views that unless the pointer a and the contact-piece d occupy the relative positions shown in three figures, respectively, which they can do only when the order is correctly carried out, the alarm will ring, unless, of course, a position intermediate between the contacts should be occupied-ras, for exam- IOO ple, stand by-When it is not in the arrange ment illustrated desired that the alarm should ring. A

I have shown the pointer a as being electrically connected to the generator in virtue of the rubbing contact which it makes with the contactring s by means of a springwasher r, and I have shown the connectingpiece d as being connected to the generator by rubbing contact with the feeder contactpiece Z. It is evident, however, that a and d might be directly connected to the generator bya flexible connection and some of the contact-pieces dispensed with. It is also evident that the contact-piece d might be connected tol the weigh-shaft or to the reversing-lever and the other contact-pieces fixed, in which case no fiexible connections Whatever would be needed.

It is to be remarked that in my apparatus there is no necessity for any spring-operated switches or the like contrivances, which are found in practice to be a continual source of trouble, and the circuits are so arranged as to necessitate nothing more than rubbing contacts in each case.

IIaving now fully described myinvention, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In engine telegraph-alarms, in combination; the dial; the series of pairs of dial contact-pieces; the pointer arranged to electrically connect the members of each pair of contact-pieces; the weigh-shaft; a second set of three contact-pieces electrically connected to the dial contact-pieces; a connecting-piece making contact with the said second set of contact-pieces, and between which connectingpiece and said second set of contactpieces there is relative movement corresponding with the movement of the weigh-shaft; and a generator and alarm coupled in series to the pointer and the connecting-piece; substantially as described.

2. In combination, a dial having a series of pairs of contact-pieces, a pointer adapted to electrically connect the members of each pair, a weigh-shaft, a plurality of contacts corresponding to the pairs of contact-pieces on the dial, electric connections from each of said plurality of contacts to a plurality of the pieces on the dial, a switch-piece cooperating with said three contacts having electrical connections with thepointer, said switch-piece and said three contacts being moved in rela- Ationto each other by the movement of the weigh-shaft, and a generator and alarm included in said electrical connections, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a dial having three pairs of contact-pieces, corresponding to ahead, asterm and stop orders, an electric connection between one ahead piece and one astern piece, and electric connections from the stop pieces to the remaining ahead and astern pieces, a pointer or the like for electrically connecting the members of each pair of, pieces, a weigh-shaft, three contacts electrically connected respectively to two astern and one ahead piece, a switchpiece,said three contacts and said switch-piece being moved in relation to each other bythe movement of the weigh-shaft and electrical connections from said switch-piece to said pointer, said connections including a generator and alarm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

TIIOM'AS BELL.

`Witnesses:

ROBERT A. SLoAN, JOSEPH E. HIRsT. 

